Pakistan’s young parliamentarians arrive in China

By Masood Sattar Khan in Beijing

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

A group of young parliamentarians from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) arrived in Changdu, the capital city of Southwest China Sichuan province, on April 21

MNA Mohammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry is heading the delegation that included members of the national and provincial assemblies.

The delegation comprising two women MNAs including Marvi Memon, Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly for Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage and Mariyam Aurangzeb.

At Chengdu, the visiting guests will inspect the party-building and the training of party officials school run by the ruling Communist Party of China. The plan also included addressing a seminar and a visit to Pakistan Study Centre.

The delegation’s schedule also included a visit to industrial parks and besides Giant Panda Preservation Centre. On the second leg of the tour of China, the delegation will reach Beijing on April 24.

The people of Sichuan have special love and affection for the Pakistani people as in 2008 when massive earthquake struck some counties of the province Pakistan had provided large quantity of tents and also established a mobile hospital for the affected people.

President Hu Jintao also visited Pakistan’s mobile hospital and lauded the service of the doctors and paramedic staff deployed there.

At that time, photographs of a Pakistani C13 cargo plane carrying tents for the affected people and the crew inside the plane standing to pave way to accommodate maximum space touched the hearts of the Chinese people. 

PN frigate Shamsheer to participate in China celebrations drill

By Masood Sattar Khan in Beijing

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Pakistan’s naval frigate PN Shamsheer has reached China’s port city of Qingdao in East China's Shandong province on April 20.

The frigate will take part along with other seven countries vessels at the 14th annual meeting of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS), starting from April 22, media report said.

“China has done an excellent work organizing this international event. I am looking forward to meeting fellow navies and learning from them," the China Daily quoted Captain Rashid Zafar Cheema, commander of Pakistan’s Navy frigate Shamsheer.

Pakistan has been invited to attend as one of the three observers of the event, reports the paper.

The Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Asif Sandila was due in Qiangdao on April 21 while officials from Pakistan embassy including Naval Attaché were already there. A reception has also been planned onboard PNS Shamsheer on April 22.

To begin with, Commander-in-Chief of PLAN Admiral Wu Shengli will first to visit Pakistani ship that illustrates the close relationship between the navies of the two countries, informed sources said.

"Our ship was built in Shanghai. Every time I sail in China I feel like I am sailing in my home waters,” Captain Cheema observed

The vessels from countries, including Pakistan, India, Singapore and Brunei, were set to participate in a drill on April 24 to celebrate the 65th anniversary of PLAN.